Thursday, May 31, 2012

SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns To Earth With Pacific Splashdown


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SpaceX Dragon Capsule Returns To Earth With Pacific Splashdown

UPDATE: The capsule's successful splashdown was confirmed at 11:42 EDT.
by Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Assistant Managing Editor
Date: 31 May 2012 Time: 10:05 AM ET

This story was updated at 11:04 a.m. EDT.
The world's first commercial space cargo ship, the unmanned Dragon capsule, has begun its return trip from the International Space Station back to Earth today (May 31).
Built by commercial company Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), the Dragon capsule was detached from the space station by astronauts using the outpost's robotic arm, which officially released the spacecraft at 5:49 a.m. EDT (0949 GMT). At 10:51 a.m. EDT (1451 GMT), Dragon fired its Draco thrusters to exit orbit and begin its descent.
The vehicle is due to splash down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:44 a.m. EDT (1544 GMT).
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By Alan Boyle
SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule parachuted to a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean today, ending the first-ever commercial mission to the International Space Station.
The 19-foot-long (6-meter-long), gumdrop-shaped Dragon made history last week as the first U.S. craft to reach the orbital station since last year's retirement of the space shuttle fleet, and it made history today as the first commercial craft to return a shipment from orbit.
The demonstration flight began on May 22 with the Dragon's launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission reached its climax last Friday when astronauts used the space station's robotic arm to pull the Dragon in to its docking port on the the station's Harmony module. On the following day, when station crew members entered the Dragon for the first time, NASA astronaut Don Pettit gushed over its new-car smell.
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[Was playing video of splashdown. - LRK]

NASA TV’s PUBLIC, MEDIA CHANNELS NOW IN HD
NASA Television’s Public (101) and Media (103) channels are now transmitting in high definition. 

NASA Television’s Public Channel (channel 101), the "NASA TV" most often carried by cable and satellite service providers, provides coverage of NASA missions and events, plus documentaries, archival and other special programming.

NASA TV’s Media Channel (channel 103) provides mission coverage, news conferences and relevant video and audio materials to local, national and international news-gathering organizations.
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[SpaceX following their Dragon Capsule Splashdown. - LRK -]

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Will be interesting to see what Orbital Science does.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
WordPress: http://lrkellogg.wordpress.com/
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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Saturday, May 26, 2012

Dragon Capsule opened - Next, return to Earth.


The capsule has been opened at the ISS and the word is - "There was no sign of any kind of (debris) floating around," Pettit radioed to Mission Control, adding that Dragon "smells like a brand new car."

I wonder is it will smell that way when it returns to Earth and is retrieved and opened?  
LRK
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UPDATE 1-Astronauts float inside SpaceX Dragon capsule

Sat May 26, 2012 12:22pm EDT

* Capsule to return to Earth Thursday

* SpaceX to deliver station cargo for NASA

* 2nd freighter to debut this year

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. May 26 (Reuters) - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station opened the hatch and floated inside a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon capsule on Saturday, the first privately owned spaceship to reach the orbital outpost, NASA said.

Running ahead of schedule, station commander Oleg Kononenko and flight engineer Don Pettit opened the hatch to Dragon just before 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT), NASA mission commentator Josh Byerly reported from Mission Control in Houston.

The bell-shaped capsule, which was making its second test flight, arrived at the space station on Friday.

The crew wore protective masks and goggles, but the interior of Dragon, which is 350 cubic feet (10 cubic metres), about the size of a large walk-in closet, proved clean.

"There was no sign of any kind of (debris) floating around," Pettit radioed to Mission Control, adding that Dragon "smells like a brand new car."

"It looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck," Pettit later told reporters during an in-flight press conference.
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Dragon (spacecraft)

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The Dragon is a reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX, a private space transportation company based in Hawthorne, California. During itsuncrewed maiden flight in December 2010, Dragon became the first commercially-built and operated spacecraft to be recovered successfully from orbit.[6] On 25 May 2012, an uncrewed variant of Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous with theInternational Space Station (ISS).[7][8][9]
Dragon is contracted to deliver cargo to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program, and is scheduled to begin regular cargo flights in August 2012.[10] Additionally, NASA awarded SpaceX a Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) contract in April 2011. The Dragon is planned to carry up to seven astronauts, or a mixture of personnel and cargo, to and from low Earth orbit. The Dragon's heat shield is furthermore designed to withstand Earth re-entry velocities from potential Lunar and Martian spaceflights.[11]
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Continue to follow updates at SpaceX.
LRK

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Dragon Becomes First Commercial Spacecraft to Attach to the Space Station
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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Friday, May 25, 2012


International Space Station (ISS) Grapples SpaceX Dragon Capsule (5/25/2012, May 25th)

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NPR BREAKING NEWS:

Space Station's Robotic Arm Successfully Captures SpaceX Capsule

The crew aboard the International Space Station successfully used the robotic arm to capture the unmanned Dragon capsule in an attempt to reel it in for docking. The Dragon is on track to become the first commercial vessel to visit the space station orbiting Earth. It rocketed into space Tuesday on a mission to deliver a half-ton of supplies.

More at NPR.org:
http://n.npr.org/NPRI/jN314486164_1321818_1321817_Z.htm 
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NASA TV’s PUBLIC, MEDIA CHANNELS NOW IN HD
NASA Television’s Public (101) and Media (103) channels are now transmitting in high definition. 

Minimalist comments as have been recovering from a case of shingles on my right arm and hand and have been in computer withdrawal for the last several months.

Many thanks to you who have sent me links and I only replied with a few thumb poked cellphone email replies.

Geoff in New Zealand sent me this link about Neil Armstrong yesterday.
As the first person to walk on the moon, he is a man whose name will be remembered for generations to come. But one of the other well-known things about Neil Armstrong is that he hardly ever gives interviews.

Hope to bring you more as the arm and hand get over the prickly pain of shingles.
I would not wish this on my worst enemy.  I have a much better appreciation for being left handed. :-)

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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